From 31 October, councillors can no longer call in small Broadland planning applications. The council agreed the change on 22 October, under protest.

From Saturday 31 October, Broadland councillors lose the power to call in most planning applications for a committee decision. Householder extensions and small housing and business schemes must now be decided by council officers.

The change comes from national law, not a local choice. Full council agreed the changes to its constitution on Thursday 22 October. It first passed an amendment recording its “strong opposition in principle” to the new national rules (council webcast, 22 October 2026).

The quick answer

  • From: 31 October 2026, for every application still undecided on that date.
  • Always decided by officers: householder applications, minor residential and minor commercial applications, prior approvals, lawful development certificates, and reserved matters on smaller schemes.
  • Can still reach committee: larger applications, listed building consents, tree preservation order consents and adverts, but only if two people agree the case is significant.
  • Your councillor’s role: they can ask for a larger application to be reviewed, within 21 days, with planning reasons. Objection numbers alone do not count.

What the law changes

The rules are in the Town and Country Planning (Discharge of Local Planning Authority Functions) (England) Regulations 2026. The council’s report says compliance “is not discretionary” and the council “cannot retain local constitutional arrangements that are inconsistent with the statutory scheme” (report to council, 22 October 2026).

The regulations split applications into two lists.

Schedule 1 applications must be decided by an officer. They include:

  • householder applications
  • minor residential and minor commercial applications
  • permission in principle
  • lawful development certificates
  • prior approvals under permitted development rights
  • reserved matters on anything other than a large outline permission

Schedule 2 applications can go to the planning committee, but officer decision is the starting point. They include larger planning applications, listed building consents, tree preservation order consents and advert consents.

A Schedule 2 case goes to committee only if the Nominated Member and the Nominated Officer both agree it raises an issue of economic, social or environmental significance to the area, or a significant planning matter. In Broadland those are the chair of the planning committee and the Assistant Director for Planning. The report says the statutory guidance sets “a high bar”.

How much changes in Broadland

Less than it sounds, on the council’s own figures. About 97% of Broadland planning applications are already decided by officers. The report says the main effect falls on “the relatively small number of smaller scale applications” that could reach committee through a councillor’s call-in.

The committee itself also shrinks. Its permitted size drops from 10 to 15 members to 10 to 13, the maximum the regulations allow.

The applications that will be reviewed automatically

The council chose which Schedule 2 cases are sent for review without anyone asking. Under its Planning Scheme of Management these are:

  • full or outline plans for 100 homes or more
  • reserved matters for 500 homes or more, or 50,000 square metres or more of other floorspace
  • changes to conditions on a Schedule 2 permission that would materially affect the planning balance, infrastructure or mitigation
  • changes to a Section 106 agreement that would significantly cut affordable housing, infrastructure or mitigation

Review does not mean a committee hearing. The two decision makers still have to agree the test is met.

What happened to existing call-ins

The report sets out what happens to cases already in the system:

  • Called in before 1 October and still undecided on 31 October: the call-in lapses, but the application goes straight to review, and the earlier call-in is given “due weight”.
  • Called in on or after 1 October: the call-in lapses and carries no weight. The ward councillor is invited to make a fresh request under the new rules.

What the council said

Councillors debated the item for about 45 minutes. Several said they were unhappy with the law. The amendment that passed, read out at the meeting, said the council “records its strong opposition in principle to the national scheme of delegation for planning” but recognises its legal obligation to make the changes.

Council then agreed the constitutional changes, the appointment of the planning committee chair as Nominated Member and the new Planning Scheme of Management. It also agreed to write to the Secretary of State setting out the concerns raised at the meeting (council webcast, 22 October 2026, from about 1 hour 7 minutes in). The council has not yet published minutes for the meeting.

What it means for you

If you object to a neighbour’s extension or a small housing scheme, your objection still counts. Officers must weigh every material planning point. But asking your councillor to “call it in” will no longer put it in front of the committee.

For a larger scheme, your ward councillor can ask for a review. The request must be in writing within 21 days of the councillor being consulted, and it must give planning reasons. The scheme lists what is not enough on its own:

  • the number of objections
  • general opposition to the proposal
  • a preference for public debate
  • personal circumstances or non-planning matters

The outcome of every review, with reasons, goes on the application’s file on the council’s planning register. Gateway decisions will be reported to the planning committee, and the whole scheme will be reviewed after 12 months.

You can follow current applications on our Broadland planning news page.

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